The fight between UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya and Robert Whittaker is set to resume at UFC 271 next weekend. It was in 2019 that they met for the first time. Adesanya won by TKO in that fight, and with it, he reclaimed the title from Whittaker.
Since then, both men have competed in a number of events. At middleweight, Adesanya has defended his title against Yoel Romero, Paulo Costa, and Marvin Vettori. He also went up against then-champ Jan Blachowicz for the UFC light heavyweight title but lost.
Since his loss to Adesanya, Whittaker has gone 3-0 with unanimous decisions over Darren Till, Jared Cannonier, and Kelvin Gastelum.
There hasn’t been much trash talk surrounding this match. When Whittaker competes, it’s unusual that there isn’t. The Aussie-Kiwi has gained popularity among fans due to his low-key demeanour and seeming disinterest in the fight-game theatre.
Adesanya, on the other hand, recently attempted to get something going on The MMA Hour. He told Ariel Helwani, the host, that Whittaker’s ego got out of control in their first battle. Whittaker, he added, is not the “good guy” that many people believe him to be.
Whittaker responds to Adesanya’s “good guy” comment
Robert Whittaker has responded to Israel Adesanya’s recent “good guy” comment.
Whittaker reportedly claimed that his “ego” was one of the main reasons for his second-round KO loss to Adesanya in their first fight at UFC 243 in October 2019.
Adesanya slammed Whittaker in an interview with Stake, claiming that ‘The Reaper’ isn’t the good guy that many in the MMA world assume he is. According to ‘The Last Stylebender:
“People kept saying what a good guy he is, but trust me he’s not. You don’t see that behind the scenes. And now he’s admitted it was his ego that got the best of him – well I told you so, he should have listened to me!”
ISRAEL ADESANYA IS THE TRUTH! 😱
Stylebender makes a statement and finishes Robert Whittaker in the second round!
The UNDISPUTED champ! 🏆#UFC243 pic.twitter.com/c55lbZd2kq
— UFC on BT Sport (@btsportufc) October 6, 2019
Robert Whittaker has now contradicted Israel Adesanya’s charges in an exclusive interview with James Lynch of Sportskeeda. As said by ‘The Reaper,
“I don’t know. It’s like, don’t get ego and egotistical mixed up, right? Like, I think ego; every fighter has ego. And it’s like, I’m not pretending to be anything that I’m not. I think he’s getting confused of the difference there, but it doesn’t bother me. Like, people know who I am. By now, people would’ve seen a mask if I was wearing one. Don’t have a mask. I’m very proud of my skill-set and how good I am. Oh, he’s definitely confused. But it could be gamesmanship. Who knows?”
Watch Robert Whittaker’s Sportskeeda interview with James Lynch below:
Israel Adesanya may return to the light heavyweight division in the future.
In an interview with Stake, Israel Adesanya stated that he wants to “lap” the UFC middleweight class. He’s defeated top-tier middleweight challenger Marvin Vettori twice and hinted that he would try again with a few more middleweight opponents before moving up to a different weight class.
Adesanya stated that he would have to fight three to four times a year as a result, but that this pace could slow owing to the COVID-19 epidemic. Last March, the New Zealander lost his 205-pound debut to Jan Blachowicz. Regardless, he’s still willing to fight at 205 pounds in the future.
Adesanya had this to say:
“What keeps it fresh for me is lapping the division again, that keeps me motivated.” Adesanya added, “I may return to the 205lb division, but I call that a side mission that may happen again down the line. I am just fully focused at 185lb right now.”
The UFC middleweight champion, Israel Adesanya, will defend his championship against Robert Whittaker in a rematch at UFC 271 on February 12th.
